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He mentioned doing heavy construction, which IMO, for a much longer duration, is MUCH more annoying than a barking dog.
I doubt they care much right now about property values improving - in that section, if these neighbors have been there a long time, their own houses are worth well more than what they paid regardless of what OP does to his house. It's NYC - property values in the boroughs, unless he is building on a vacant lot, won't be affected by his improvements.
I'm not saying they handled it the right way, however, an ongoing year of this might very well drive people to measures such as these.
It was heavy construction but not Extreme Makeover: Home Edition heavy, fyi. It wasn't not noisy or disruptive at all. When I said heavy construction, I meant inside the house, again not outside of the house like exterior renovation.
I never said anything about the noise complaints other than the furniture moving, which was at most a 15 min. communication. I said it was things made from assumptions and people getting under our nose as if they own the house themselves. Like NeilVA has said, people complain about the littlest things - it's causing disruption for us as well. We don't have track machines or bulldozers.
People get renovations all the time. The old house we have 2 doors down is pretty old and we've had to fix the infrastructure many times, meaning there was an elevator left outside our building for weeks and a group of men on the job, hammering the brick walls - I don't see any complains about that. Meanwhile, I don't even think they worked on the walls outside for this new house so if they were to complain about the noise, they would've called the police, which they haven't so it's obviously not a noise problem. You don't file a complaint about noise to the DOB - you call the police for that.
Last edited by FOReverxpeace; 03-01-2012 at 10:40 PM..
FOREVER, I have a better idea. When you find out who complained, by writing a letter to the record place, instead of suing people and all that stuff, be the BIG GUY in this. It's gotta be someone who is far enough away from your existing family home two doors down from the worked-on home in order for them to not know you. Anyhow, when you are FOR SURE done with everything to do with that house and you've spent a few nights there, THIS is what you should do.
Once you find out who the person might be, then pick three people, with THE BAD GUY as number two on the list, and buy three small but sweetly decorated cakes from the bakery and three vases of some flowers from a florist, and visit all three new neighbors, bring someone in family with you to hold the stuff, and explain to the neighbors (THE most important info) that your family has lived down the street for 30 years and you are so happy to have gotten this house so you can remain in the area, and point to it, but that the contractor company you hired to do interior updates took rather longer than you thought, and so you wanted to give your new neighbor these small tokens of peace because you are so happy it's over, and you appreciate so much their patience while all that craziness was going on, and you welcome them to contact you if there is ever anything at all you can do for them, and give them a card with your name, address, and phone number on there. Tell them you intend to visit a couple other neighbors the same way, that your family has lived in the area for so long (good to repeat this), that it just seemed a neighborly thing to do!
Then let all the anger and upset stuff go. It's over. And you will have officially made up for what the bad guy was upset about, and by everyone being told you're seeing three neighbors equally, the bad guy will not realize his cover has been blown. Plus you will have impressed the heck out of your other two regular neighbors. AND if you DON'T find out who the errant neighbor was, by picking your three closest neighbors, then odds are the bad guy will be in there, and if not, then the three will be so pleased with your manners and so relieved you are an old neighbor, that they will always at least be polite to you. And if perhaps you missed the bad guy, he will fade into the background, he got it out of his system, and so did you, only in a much more straightforward and pleasant way! KEEP US POSTED. We want to hear more about the BLOCK WAR!!! Smile. GG
Everything you just said made me smile and it's the ideal neighborhood-friendly relationship I'd like, however people are extremely snobby here, it's unbelievable. So far, we've gotten along with all the neighbors around us (as in next to us) in the last 30 years my family's been there. Then again, we don't know everyone surrounding us so who knows, it might be one of those people we don't talk to who has a personal vendetta against us. I wish I could ease up but it's not just me - it's my family carrying the burden and they've been so upset over this. Here they are, investing their hard-earned money into a new house, hoping to have a good start yet we have annoying people on our butts.
But trust me, if we were on better terms, I'd definitely bake them a cheesecake myself. Our next door neighbors are always great to us - one giving me Barbie dolls when I was younger and the other whose daughter I used to hang out with all the time.
Last edited by FOReverxpeace; 03-01-2012 at 10:46 PM..
Propert values increase? What is this phrase? I know no such words...
He's talking about gentrification. My neighborhood is known for gentrification because of these non-New Yorkers who "can't afford" to live in Manhattan so they go to neighborhoods closer to the city and make it into mini Manhattan with these co-ops and condos and expensive stores. downtown Brooklyn is very popular.
However, it has nothing to do with the property values. That house has been in the market for years and someone had to buy it eventually. I'm pretty sure we bought it for less than asking price.
I wish I could ease up but it's not just me - it's my family carrying the burden and they've been so upset over this. Here they are, investing their hard-earned money into a new house, hoping to have a good start yet we have annoying people on our butts.
You keep referring to your family. Aren't you the owner? Who else is investing hard-earned money into this house? You make it sound like a band of gypsies are pooling resources for housing.
You keep referring to your family. Aren't you the owner? Who else is investing hard-earned money into this house? You make it sound like a band of gypsies are pooling resources for housing.
I have no part in the house. I don't know about you, but I would be upset if someone is constantly making irrational complaints and is causing my family a lot of distress
Last edited by FOReverxpeace; 03-02-2012 at 11:53 AM..
I have no part in the house. I don't know about you, but I would be upset if someone is constantly making irrational complaints and is causing my family a lot of distress
I don't get involved in problems my family members have with their neighbors. It's their life, not mine. I listen to them complain, that's about it. If they are having a feud in the neighborhood, their drama doesn't become my drama.
I was just asking because it was becoming clear you weren't an owner. You kept referring to it vaguely as family, not your parents or your sister or your uncle. The repeated broad reference to "family" made it sound like some commune living like gypsies or the mafia.
I don't get involved in problems my family members have with their neighbors. It's their life, not mine. I listen to them complain, that's about it. If they are having a feud in the neighborhood, their drama doesn't become my drama.
I was just asking because it was becoming clear you weren't an owner. You kept referring to it vaguely as family, not your parents or your sister or your uncle. The repeated broad reference to "family" made it sound like some commune living like gypsies or the mafia.
My parents have part of it, if that clears anything up. I'm also very close to my 2 aunts who have half of the ownership with them as well.
So your parents and two aunts are going to live in this house together?
Sounds more like it's investment property since they still own the other house too.
If so, that might explain why the neighbors are upset because improvements may potentially increase rent and price people out of the neighborhood.
No, it's just an investment but my aunts moved into the new house and rented out the other floor. Improvements/new property does not validate the right to complain. It does sound very childish but believe me, it has nothing to do with increase rent and driving people out. People own their houses there and they've been owning it for decades.
I relate EXACTLY to what you describe! I'm a receptionist for the planning and building department, and our building staff spends more damn time on whiners wanting to tattle-tail and cause trouble for their neighbors. And we have good radar to detect when it's simply people wanting to be buttheads. Absolutely disgusting.
However, our building department has a completely different take on this sort of thing. They do NOT accept complaints anonymously. The inspection supervisor tells everybody that everything is public record, including complaints, and that the people that these callers complain about have the right to know who's filed the reports. This quite often prompts re-consideration. Ours is an understaffed building department, with little to no time to contend with neighbors who don't have better things to do with their time.
Construction companies can work from 7 am until 7 at night. A homeowner can continue his own construction until 10 at night. Unless the noise is a big enough racket to warrant "disturbance of the peace" then the neighbors have no rights. People aren't smart enough to realize that these kinds of things are temporary. But, then, there are many people out there who just like to stir trouble and be buttheads ~ it's their entertainment.
Your neighbors are being bad neighbors. I don't envy you at all.
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